changing, changing: story and collages
by Aracelis Girmay

“Once there was a boy. And once there was a girl.”

So begins this story of metamorphoses, of life, and of possibility. The young protagonists of the opening lines take turns embodying facets of the world around them, undergoing transformations of quiet but mythical proportions. She becomes the moon, a tribe, an island. He becomes a bull, the sky, a kite. Bright, imaginative images of raw beauty illustrate each transformation.

changing, changing is a joyful celebration of many things. Of the world the children take into themselves as they are reincarnated again and again. Of the imagination, which knows no bounds as they experience the universe from the new perspective of each transformation. As children of African descent, their story is also a celebration of Blackness. Their tumble through the universe is a journey through life, a discovery of the world, themselves, and each other―making Changing, Changing a celebration of love and of friendship as well.

Adults will see the deeper philosophical message of change as a defining and driving force in life, while children (and adults, too) will delight in this playful romp through the everyday wonders that surround us. Color illustrations throughout